Featured Article: Rifles vs. Smoothbores

Rifles Versus Smoothbores, did it make a difference?

By Thomas Arliskas

On Tuesday, September 28th, 2021, I was a part of a Civil War

Weapons Demonstration done at Fort Shenandoah, the same

week as our Fall Nationals. The idea for a Demonstration came

from our Past Commander and friend Mr. Phil Spaugy. Phil had

received permission to hold such an event from our Board of

Directors. The whole idea was to invite high level Academics,

Park Historians, Editors and Writers to visit us and partake

in something most of them have never done, fire a Civil War

Revolver, Smoothbore, Rifle, Carbine, and Cannon using live

ammunition. For many it was a first and they really enjoyed

themselves. Now, I am positive a lot of my fellow Skirmishers

reading these first few sentences are rolling their eyes and

muttering, “hey we done that 100 times already at our local

Skirmishes, so big deal.” True! I have done it too, letting the

general public take a shot with a Springfield Rifle or a Sharp’s

Carbine. The whole idea to get people to join the team. I know!

But the folks that attended the Demonstration on the 28th

were, Mr. James Hessler, Author, Licensed Battlefield Guide at

Gettysburg and Founder of the Battle of Gettysburg Podcasts,

Dana Shoaf, Editor of Civil War Times, Melissa Winn, Director of

Photography, History NET, Chris Howland, Editor of America’s

Civil War, and Keith McGill representing the Adams County

Historical Society.

My job was to run the Smoothbore Demonstration for our

guests. Phil and I talked, and I believed letting someone shoot a

smoothbore is interesting, but educational for a high-level Civil

War Editor or Writer? Without historic input it was nothing but

a mid-morning, “Oh Wow, I shot a smoothbore gun event!” So,

when the guests arrived, they were introduced, then we were

introduced, of course safety was discussed, a short History of Fort

Shenandoah and the N-SSA presented, we talked about what we

were scheduled to do that day and then Phil called on me to start

the program rolling. I proceeded to tell them about the Chief of Ordnance for the Confederate Army Josiah Gorgas, and how

in a special report to the Confederate Congress in May of 1861,

he stated he had but 150,000 guns in storage for the anticipated

call for 189,000 new CS recruits and another 10,000 CS Army

Regulars. Of that 150,000, 120,000 were smoothbores of all ages

and types. Only 15,000 or so were rifles old and new and the

rest an assortment of Cavalry Carbines of all types and pistols.

That in early 1861 and 1862, the smoothbore was the Queen of

Battle. The type of firearm most commonly used by both Union

and Confederate Armies East and West in those early Battles.

Now my audience, they seemed perplexed yet interested. Even

Phil Spaugy! I went on that in recent Civil War studies-- several

books on Civil War Small Arms and their use in combat state

that the smoothbore could hold its own against an 1855 Rifled

Musket or a Mississippi Rifle with a .54 bullet or even a Rifled

.69 Caliber Model 1842. That Rifles made no difference for these

authors in the outcome of a Battle. That the Rifled musket was

not the game changer, the new weapon of modern warfare for

1861. They stated the short distances where the two sides would

open fire was one reason. Many Civil War Battles were fought at

close range, true. That the Infantry had very little sight practice

or range time with their new rifles was two. True for many. That

the tactics taught were Napoleonic in nature was the third reason.

Massed columns of men, moving shoulder to shoulder, firing

volley after volley then the assault with the bayonet! So, who cares

if you have a rifle or smoothbore if your being trained to fight

this way? The smoothbore they said firing buck and ball, one

large ball and three smaller buckshot, or a shotgun loaded with

buckshot,10 was the number the CS ordnance Department put in

many of these cartridges was a lot deadlier to a line of men 40 or

70 yards away then one shot from a rifle. You could knock down

two or three of the enemy with one shot. All of our guests have

read the smoothbore was good out to 100 yards or more! Quoted

in many of these new Civil War Combat books, and like George

Washington and the Cherry Tree, it became a fact amongst the

many. A smoothbore for a lot of Civil War History folks shooting

at 100 yards with buck and ball was deadlier than a Rifle in the

hands of a Confederate Farm Boy or a Western youngster living

out in the Woods bringing home supper. The N-SSA Skirmishers

in the crowd listening to my words, just shook their heads, “no,

that isn’t true.” To prove my point, I had Mr. Thomas Mark of the

29th Wisconsin load up a Flintlock Smoothbore Musket with buck

and ball to show the audience you could rely on the big round

ball, but not the three small shot to bring a man or men down.

Well after a long drum roll Tom fired. To our amazement, Tom

broke four pigeons at 25 yards. One in the middle with the big

round ball, one on each side of that one and one underneath the

middle pigeon. A Homeric Shot with buck and ball. No one had

seen a shot like that in 40 years of skirmishing! My audience was

now skeptical about everything I was talking about-- smoothbores

vs. rifles in Civil War combat, “hmmmm.” 10 other folks tried

with the same load and out those only one other pigeon was

broken with a buck shot. I again had some credibility with my

guests. Not to say no soldiers were never hit by buckshot, but at

a long distance the reference to being hit with a spent round was

very common in CW letters and diaries. Tom Mark is no longer

allowed to shoot at events like this.

On smoothbores, every single recruit North or South wanted a

rifle when they signed up in 1861. That is a fact and I have dozens

of quotes from Civil War soldiers to that point. Many would

refuse to take the Smoothbore when issued to the chagrin of their

Officers. To quiet them down they would promise that when

Rifles were available, they would be the first to get them.

The Rifled musket was in short supply for the Summer and Fall

of 1861, well into 1862 and beyond. The new Enfield Rifle from

England came into the Confederacy in dribbles throughout the

Fall of 1861 and a flood later. The Battlefields were scoured by

both sides looking to ditch their smoothbores for a dropped

rifle. That is a fact, and I can support it. What the authors do not mention is all this firing done at close range the reason, the

majority of Civil War Battlefields were covered in dense forest and

scrub oak cut with ravines and steep hills. Fort Donelson, Shiloh

in the West that combat done in old growth trees and brush where

you could only see your opponent at 50 yards. The Confederates

at Shiloh learned quickly not to advance over open fields. To use

the woods and ravines to reach the enemy. The Officers changed

tactics to fit the arms the men were issued. Both the Confederate

Army and the Union Army understood and learned to close in at

a run with the enemy if they had smoothbores, “when the rifled

musket loses its advantage.” A quote from the Colonel of the 14th

Mississippi. Civil War combat did change as the War progressed

and rifled muskets did have a big part in that and artillery. The

story and history of Civil War weaponry lies with the N-SSA and

its members. We shoot these guns in competition.

When I hold up a new Mississippi Rifle or Enfield and an old

Belgian Converted or Flintlock Smoothbore Musket and ask my

brothers in the N-SSA which one would you want to fight a battle?

They all want the Rifle. Me too. Why? Because at 40 yards or 200

yards I can use my rifle, you with the smoothbore cannot. It is

that simple, but to a lot of Civil War Academics and Historians

they just believe what they read in a book. “At 100 yards or more a

smoothbore is a deadly weapon, at short range even deadlier.”

The point to be made the N-SSA teaching our guests what a

smoothbore or rifle or carbine, pistol or cannon is capable of

for them was an eye opener. They want to come back often and

bring their peers to learn about Civil War weaponry. That is Phil

Spaugy’s hope for the future. That the N-SSA working with its

membership and our Board can now be the teacher and not the

student. I hope all of my brother N-SSA members realize what

was accomplished here. We had very happy and appreciative

guests. Please support Phil Spaugy and the Board on this event

in the future. It is well worth the effort to change Civil War

History in regard to shoulder arms and cannons. We are the most

knowledgeable on that subject and that is a fact.

I am writing a book currently on smoothbores vs. rifles. Not a